Railway-track sleeper



(No Model.)

, 0. J. OLIVER.

RAILWAY TRACK SLEEPER.

Patented AprQ L, 1893.

qwi cmedaca g? 54 L /74W.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RAI LWAY-TRACK SLEEPER.-

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 495,004, dated April 4, 1893. Application filed May 2, 1891. Renewed March 6, 1893. Serial No. 464,871- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that 1, CHARLES JAMES OLIVER, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Atlanta, in the county of Fulton and State of Georgia, have invented certain new and usefui Improvements in Railway- Track Sleepers; and I do hereby declare the following to beafull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to reference characters marked thereon, which said drawings form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to railway cross-ties and specifically to the class of such devices in which the major portion is situate under the rail, said parts being made severally and connected into one by the described means, the details of which will be hereinafter de scribed.

The object of the invention is to insure at a reasonable cost and complication, the entire security of the track and a durability of the tie which shall be satisfactory.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device, showing a rail in position, the sleeper shown being one at a rail-joint for the purpose of showing the security and the absence of necessity for the use of fishjoints or plates, the point of View being outside of the track. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the device from a point of view to the left of Fig. 1, further showing the elements therein shown. Fig. 3 is a transverse section through a sleeper, on the line of the side of the tie-bar as it passes through said sleeper, showing the construction and arrangement thereof, the chair however being omitted. Fig. 4 is also a transverse section of the sleeper showing the construction and arrangement of the rail securing elements, the section being taken on the line of the side of the retaining wedge.

In the figures, like reference marks are employed in the designation of corresponding elements of construction.

The sleeper consists essentially of the hollow cast-iron sleeper proper A and the chair B which are made either separately or integrally as desired or found most efficient. The sleeper A is made of box-shaped form and is hollow for sake of lightness and the corners of the interior may be filled with a fillet a of metal cast integrally for the purpose of strength and to insure the casting of the part against cold shut joints at said corners. Also, in casting, the larger masses at the corners will remain in a molten state the longest and the natural shrinkage of the iron will merely form depressions at these points and not cause bad places in the side walls which would tend to weaken said walls. The part A is provided with a cover or top which has therein two holes and the side walls are provided with holes a, the function of all of which will be hereinafter specified. The chair B has two upwardly projecting flanges b and b, the flange I) being hooked to grasp the base of the rail and both being braced as usual. Said chair is provided with two holes coinciding in position with the aforesaid holes in the top of the part A. The rail G is set within the chair as shown in Fig. 4 and a rectangular block D of slightly or considerably resilient material is placed under it resting upon the horizontal surface of the chair B. It is preferable that material be used for the block D which is not too soft and which possesses superior qualities of strength and resilience, and for this purpose, indurated fiber or hard rubber, not too hard, is thought to be best. Holes corresponding in location to the holes in the chair and the part A are punched in the rail and in the block D and pins E are inserted,

passing downwardly through all of the elements having the coinciding holes. In the ends of the pins E are slots 6. slotted longitudi nally of the pins. A plate F is inserted under the heads of the pins E and bears on the rail base and on the top side of the flange b, and is curved as shown slightly upward to conform to the angle of the top of the base and so have firm bearing thereupon. After the pins E are inserted through the parts just described keys G are inserted through the slots a and through the slots e in the said pins, resting along the under side of the top of the part A. The said key G is made of spring steel, preferably,and is split on its largerend so as to spring in such a manner as to reduce it in width, and the lower edge is dentated, two or more teeth being out therein, which engage with the beveled edge a of the part A as shown in Fig. 4:. By this construction it is obvious that the keys will be held in place unless pinched by tongs and the two members at the bifurcated end pressed together, when 5 it will be released and may be withdrawn. The two sleepers oppositely situated under the rails are tied together with a tie bar H which has on each end an enlarged portion h which is provided with notches 71, on its under side which fit over the metal along the under side of the slots (1. Over each of the parts 71, said parts being key-seated for the purpose, is driven a key h which rests along the under side of the top of the part A and holds the notches h firmly over the edges of the slots, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. A key I, is driven beside the rail as shown in Figs.

2 and 4 and firmly seats the rail under the flange b of the chair B and forms together with the vertical portion of said flange a guide for the rail during its downward movement on depression by superincumbent weight. All

or any holes may be slotted for the contraction and expansion of the rail.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In a device of the class specified the combination of the rail, a chair or seat for same engaging one edge of the rail, the sleeper and a pin engaging the free side of said rail and having a slot in its end and a key passing through said slot and through a slot in the sleeper said key being split at its large end and dentated as shown and for the purpose specified.

2. In a device of the class specified, the combination of the rail, a chair having an upward projection adapted to engage one side of said rail, the part A made separate from or forming part of said chair, the washer-plate resting on the free side of said rail, the elastic block under said rail and the pin passing through the washer plate, rail, block and chair and being slotted in its protruding end and a key adapted to be driven into said slot and confine the parts, substantially as and for the purpose specified. I

In testimony whereof I hereunto aifix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES JAMES OLIVER. Vitnesses:

A. P. W001), L. F. HAYDEN. 

